Forewarned

I write this as my beautiful girl sleeps peacefully in her cot blissfully unaware of what faces her tomorrow, the coming months and even years. There's an old saying "to be forewarned is to be forearmed" but in my case I'm not so sure.

After a weekend of debate between me and my husband, a little bit of putting our heads in the sand and a lot of tears. We contacted a leading talipes specialist at Chelsea and Westminster hospital to seek a second opinion. On the recommendation of STEPS (a national charity supporting children and adults affected by a lower limb condition such as talipes www.steps-charity.org.uk) we emailed the Consultant a history of Munchie's treatment so far plus a number of photographs of her foot. We heard back within a few hours, which was amazing. However it wasn't the news we wanted to hear, the Consultant agreed with the treatment recommended last week and gave us more information about the cast and what was likely to lay ahead. The what is likely to lay ahead is something I/we are truly struggling with, I thought my world turned upside down when I found out about the cast but this, this has blown my mind and has brought my world crashing down around me.

The Consultant last week, briefly mentioned that after the casts, Munchie may require boots and a bar. But I was so stuck on the cast at the time that this information didn't really sink in. After speaking with the second Consultant and doing a lot of research, the boots and bar are a critical part of treating talipes but they are also the hardest part of the treatment. They have to be worn 23 hours out of 24 for a minimum of 12 weeks then at night thereafter for anywhere between 1 to 5 years depending on the severity of the condition. If the boots aren't worn the the foot will relapse and the whole cycle needs to start again.

My instinct is to protect my girl, to hide her away from what lies ahead but what kind of Mum would that make me? I have to think long term, I have to think of my daughter's future not the here and now. My little girl is 6 months old, she won't remember the next few months but she will remember if her foot doesn't work as it should. So I have to be strong, keep my fears away from my little one, encourage her, hold her, love her and most of all get her through tomorrow and beyond without losing the smiley, happy, inquisitive baby we are so lucky to have.